Charles Leclerc has delivered a positive verdict of the 2026 Formula 1 cars, as debate continues to rage over their future.
As the 2026 F1 cars continue to divide fandom, Leclerc has added his name to the camp that is enjoying the new regulations and form of racing.
The Monegasque and Ferrari have enjoyed a competitive start to 2026, becoming the closest challenger to Mercedes, with race starts proving a particular strength.
Utilising this strength, Ferrari has become a nuisance for pacesetters Mercedes, able to battle with the Silver Arrows in the opening stages of races using battery deployment.
Leclerc has dismissed rival claims that the racing is artificial and that he enjoys the new form of racing.
“I enjoy it and it doesn’t feel so artificial from inside the car,” said Ferrari’s Leclerc to media, including Motorsport Week.
“Of course, you’ve got those overtakes where it’s artificial, whenever someone is doing a mistake with the battery and completely drains it and then, there’s a massive speed difference.
“But, I feel like we are all converging a little bit towards knowing where shouldn’t we go and where can we try and take the risk and so, that creates very interesting overtaking places. I think today was the showing of that.”
Charles Leclerc on “fun” 2026 cars
Leclerc enjoyed a close duel with teammate Lewis Hamilton across the weekend in Shanghai, highlighting how the new cars contributed to his battles.
I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’m not sure if you ask the team, they will reply the same. But, I really enjoyed it.
“Honestly, these cars for races, it’s actually quite fun and yeah, it was just a cool race.
“At the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger and I’m happy for his podium.
“I’m, of course, disappointed for losing out on the podium on my side, but I know I’ve given everything and at the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger this weekend.”
“It was a very fair, hard but fair battle, which was nice and then, there’s also a lot of tactics from inside the cockpit that is really cool. There was obviously this battle for who will get the overtake in the last corner and we both brake very early. And, the way you deploy and manage the energy, it was a fun race.”
Leclerc did admit however that he wants to see changes to qualifying as it no longer rewards drivers.
“It’s not those super high downforce cars that we used to have in the past,” he said.
“There are some things that we, of course, need to look at.
“To make it a little bit more Formula 1-like in qualifying because, I feel like there’s something that we miss. But, I know the FIA is working on it and hopefully, we’ll find a solution for that.”
Leclerc’s defence of the regulations and cars is not surprising, given he is in one of the top two cars on the grid, with the most to lose if changes are made.
As F1 grapples with what the future of this rules cycle looks like, Leclerc and Ferrari will prefer limited deviation.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc teases ‘interesting’ Ferrari/Mercedes battle despite substantial deficit
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